The problem of joint diseases is still relevant today. After forty, about a third of the population begins to experience pain with movement, and after fifty, more than half of the population begins to experience pain. The progressive destruction of cartilage, ligaments, bones and soft tissues around the joints is called by doctors the general term "osteoarthritis".
How to prevent this condition? And what treatments will relieve pain when the disease has already developed? To answer these questions, we must first understand the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis, the most common joint pathologies.
What is arthritis?
The main difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis is evident from the names: acute and sudden diseases end in "-itis"; with "-de" – slowly progressing diseases, chronic processes.
Arthritis is an inflammatory lesion of the joints that occurs due to dysfunction of the immune system due to infection (for example, sore throat or otitis media), trauma, metabolic disorders, hypothermia, stressor other reasons (even autoimmune).
The first signs appear like this:
- sharp pain in one or more joints (often not only during movement), especially early in the morning;
- enlargement, swelling, edema, redness of the painful joint;
- a noticeable increase in temperature at the site of inflammation.
The inflammatory processes caused by arthritis can affect the entire body. In this case, the patient feels a high temperature, chills, loses strength and may have inflammation of other organs (eyes, genitourinary system, even heart, lungs, liver and kidneys).
Arthritis comes in dozens of forms. The most common of them are:
- rheumatism– inflammation of the connective tissue of large and medium-sized joints that occurs after infections;
- rheumatoid arthritis– a slow autoimmune process that symmetrically affects several joints at once; causes the appearance of "nodules", pain, loss of mobility; can cause inflammation of many organs;
- drop– caused by the accumulation of uric acid in the blood and salts in the joints; most often begins with sharp pain in the joint of the big toe;
- reactive arthritis– occurs against the background of damage to the body caused by infections (chlamydia, streptococci, etc. );
- infectious arthritis– begins due to a bacterial infection of the joint itself.
What is osteoarthritis?
Unlike arthritis, osteoarthritis is not accompanied by inflammatory processes. This causes poor circulation in the joint, which causes the cartilaginous parts to dry out.
Osteoarthritis is a disease that deforms and destroys joint tissue. With it, the binding layers are dehydrated, become thinner and "worn out". Bones begin to touch each other, causing pain and making it difficult for a person to move.
The signs of osteoarthritis of the joints are:
- after a long period of immobility (for example a night's rest), the joint "freezes", but then develops rapidly when resuming activity;
- the operation of the joint is accompanied by strange sounds (clicks, crunches, squeaks);
- physical activity causes pain.
What are the differences between arthritis and osteoarthritis?
Both of these diseases affect the joints. But they are caused by different reasons, unfold differently and can lead to very different consequences. Only a correct diagnosis, based on the difference between arthritis and osteoarthritis, can avoid irreparable damage to the body.
It takes time for degeneration of cartilage tissue to develop sufficiently and bone deformation to begin. Therefore, chronic osteoarthritis usually manifests itself in old age (after 60 years, less often after 50 years). The most sensitive to changes are joints that constantly work under load: the fingers of musicians, the knees of athletes and loaders, the ankles of people who walk a lot or work standing, etc.
On the other hand, arthritis can occur even in a child. The inflammatory process causes pathology of the synovial membrane, saturated with blood vessels, and joint fluid (while with osteoarthritis it is simply produced in insufficient quantities). Unfortunately, nearly one in five cases of disability worldwide is caused by various forms and complications of arthritis.
Inflammation can affect not only joints, but also other tissues with active blood circulation: blood vessels and heart, lungs, abdominal organs, eyes, urinary system, etc. On the other hand, osteoarthritis is limited by local mechanical damage to the bones and the formation of osteophytes in areas of joint deformation. Although in advanced stages and in advanced forms, the disease can also cause disability, completely immobilizing a person's limbs.
How do arthritis and osteoarthritis manifest?
Let's compare the external manifestations to clearly explain the difference between the symptoms of arthritis and osteoarthritis.
- Pain. In the early stages of osteoarthritis (which lasts for years), joint pain occurs during physical activity and disappears after rest. It is rarely sharp and strong. Even as the disease develops, when pain can appear even with small movements and even at rest, it is usually enough to give the body a comfortable position so that the pain subsides. With arthritis, the patient is bothered by acute pain attacks of great strength, which can only be extinguished by special medications. A characteristic symptom is pain at rest, especially early in the morning.
- Clicking, grinding, cracking joints. In joints affected by osteoarthritis, the cartilaginous layers are destroyed. They cease to protect the heads of the bones from contact with each other. Thus, during movement, the bones touch and rub together, producing rough, dry sounds. The more the disease progresses, the louder and louder the joints click. Arthritis is usually not accompanied by such symptoms.
- Deformation of the joint and surrounding tissues. The progression of osteoarthritis over time leads to a change in the shape of the bones: their heads begin to crumble and wear out, and osteophytes may appear. Sometimes in acute stages there is swelling and aching pain, but these symptoms are not permanent. But a joint affected by arthritis becomes inflamed and swollen. Swelling forms and compactions occur. The skin turns red and becomes hot.
- Reduced mobility. Osteoarthritis causes stiffness in a specific joint that goes away with movement. At deeper stages, stiffness increases, flexion range decreases, ultimately leading to immobility. With arthritis, you may feel stiff throughout your body and attempts to move will cause sharp pain.
- Changes in blood composition. Osteoarthritis is not an inflammatory disease, therefore it is not reflected in the analysis. Arthritis causes a significant increase in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, which indicates an active infectious and inflammatory process.
So, symptoms of osteoarthritis in the early stages can rarely cause serious anxiety and discomfort. This leads to a careless attitude and late diagnosis of the disease, which complicates further treatment.
Causes of osteoarthritis
Several factors increase the risk of pathological changes in the joints and surrounding tissues: constant overload, imbalance of the immune and hormonal systems, poor physical form. Therefore, to prevent the disease, you must regularly follow these recommendations:
- Maintain moderate physical activity through simple exercises, walking, swimming, etc. This will help you get rid of excess weight, improve blood circulation, strengthen your muscles and thus relieve stress on your joints.
- Try to eat healthy foods. Fatty foods, red meat and alcohol can be harmful. On the contrary, seafood, fruits and vegetables and dishes containing cartilage and gelatin will be beneficial for the body. It is important to drink plenty of clean water (2 to 3 liters per day).
- Choose suitable clothing and shoes: comfortable heels, warm enough, and not restricting movement.
- If possible, avoid stress, disruptions and other "shocks" to the body.
However, if a person has already been diagnosed with arthritis or arthrosis, before performing even such simple actions, you should consult a doctor. In some cases, conventional prevention can also cause damage and make the situation worse.
But how are arthritis and osteoarthritis treated? What is the difference? The causes of these pathologies differ: immune processes, fight against infection in the first case versus malnutrition of the cartilage in the second. The ways of managing them will therefore be different. To choose the right course of action, you must first make an accurate diagnosis.
To do this, it is best to undergo an X-ray and MRI in combination with laboratory blood and urine tests. After studying the results, the doctor will prescribe appropriate recommendations.
Arthritis treatment
If the acute form of the disease is caused by an infection, it can be cured with antibiotics. But in this case, it is important to select the drug carefully: it is necessary to neutralize the pathogenic bacteria before the joint pathology becomes irreversible. The course is supplemented with anti-inflammatory and immune-strengthening drugs.
In the case of chronic arthritis (eg rheumatoid), treatment should be carried out regularly throughout life. The most commonly used are corticosteroids, cytostatics and modern biologics. These are quite powerful medications, so to ensure that they do not harm the body, the correct calculation of dosages, frequency and duration of use is essential.
In case of severe pain, your doctor may also prescribe analgesic treatment. And accompanying support methods are necessarily recommended: diet, physiotherapy and physiotherapy treatment. If the inflammation has spread to other organs, the patient should be referred for additional specialist examinations.
Treatment of osteoarthritis
Modern methods make it possible to almost completely eliminate the manifestations of the disease if the diagnosis was made at an early stage and the patient's age does not reach forty years. To do this, in addition to standard monitoring of stress on the joint and a drug treatment (they initiate regeneration, restore nutrition and hydration to the cartilage), the patient can be prescribed mud wraps, electrophoresis and acoustic therapy (which affect the affected area). fabric with low frequency sounds).
In older people or in advanced forms, osteoarthritis cannot be completely cured, although it is possible to achieve a significant improvement in the condition and slow down the destructive processes in the joint. This requires strict adherence to the doctor's recommendations: regular use of medications (for example, chondroprotectors), maintaining a healthy lifestyle, timely execution of prescribed procedures, monitoring joint load.
In osteoarthritis, the main attention is paid to the restoration of the cartilaginous layer. If there are concomitant symptoms of inflammatory processes, antibiotics or corticosteroids may be prescribed to relieve the acute phase and switch to the main treatment regimen. In some severe cases, surgery and even implantation of an artificial joint may be necessary.